There exist today many types of hand-held electronic devices, each of which utilizes some sort of user interface. The user interface typically includes an output device in the form of a display, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and one or more input devices, which can be mechanically actuated (e.g., switches, buttons, keys, dials, joysticks, joy pads) or electrically activated (e.g., touch pads or touch screens). The display is typically configured to present visual information such as text and graphics, and the input devices are typically configured to perform operations such as issuing commands, making selections, or moving a cursor or selector of the electronic device. Each of these well-known devices has considerations such as size and shape limitations, costs, functionality, complexity, etc. that must be taken into account when designing the hand-held electronic device. In most cases, the user interface is positioned on the front face (or front surface) of the hand-held device for easy viewing of the display and easy manipulation of the input devices.
FIGS. 1A-1F are diagrams of various hand-held electronic devices including for example a telephone 10A (FIG. 1A), a PDA 10B (FIG. 1B), a media player 10C (FIG. 1C), a remote control 10D (FIG. 1D), a camera 10E (FIG. 1E), and a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 10F (FIG. 1F). In each of these devices 10, a display 12, which is secured inside the housing of the device 10 and which can be seen through an opening in the housing, is typically positioned in a first region of the electronic device 10. Each of these devices 10 also include one or more input devices 14, which are typically positioned in a second region of the electronic device 10 next to the display 12.
To elaborate, the telephone 10A typically includes a display 12 such as a character or graphical display, and input devices 14 such as a number pad and in some cases a navigation pad. The PDA 10B typically includes a display 12 such as a graphical display, and input devices 14 such as a stylus based resistive touch screen and buttons. The media player 10C typically includes a display 12 such as a character or graphic display and input devices 14 such as buttons or wheels. The iPod® media player manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. is one example of a media player that includes both a display and input devices disposed next to the display. The remote control 10D typically includes an input device 14 such as a keypad and may or may not have a character display 12. The camera 10E typically includes a display 12 such as a graphic display and input devices 14 such as buttons. The GPS module 10F typically includes a display 12 such as graphic display and input devices 14 such as buttons, and in some cases a joy pad.
Such prior art devices 10A-10F often employ a user interface in conjunction with the display 12 and input device 14. In one example, FIG. 2A shows an electronic device 20, such as a portable media player. The electronic device 20 has a display 24 and an input device 26 according to the prior art. The display 22 can show various forms of information (e.g., menu items, song titles stored in memory, etc.) of a user interface. The display 24 and input device 26 used in conjunction with the user interface allows the user to make selections (e.g., select a song), to operate functions of the device (e.g., play, stop, or pause a song, etc.), and to perform other functions. In this device 20, the input devices 26 is a “click wheel,” such as used on an iPod® media player manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.
The electronic device 20 has a housing 22 that contains the display 24 and the input device 26. The input device 26 typically requires a number of components, such as pressure pads, printed circuit board, integrated circuits, etc. Accordingly, the housing 22 for the electronic device 20 must typically be extended or enlarged beyond the size of the display 24 so that the electronic device 20 can accommodate the components of the input device 26. Consequently, due to the required components for the input device 26, the size of the housing 22 may in some cases be larger than is actually required to house just the display 24 and any other necessary components (i.e., processor, memory, power supply, etc.) for the device 20. In addition, placement of the display 22 and the input device 26 typically accommodate only one orientation of the device 20 when held by a user.
In another example, FIG. 2B shows another electronic device 30 having a display 34 and an input device 36 according to the prior art. The electronic device 30 can be a laptop computer or the like, and the input device 36 can be a touch pad used to control functions of the device 30, such as moving a cursor, making selections, etc. The touch pad 36 is positioned on a housing 32 of the device 30 in conjunction with conventional components of a keyboard 38 and other physical inputs. The touch pad 36 can be categorized as either “resistive” or “capacitive.” In the resistive category, the touch pad 36 is coated with a thin metallic electrically conductive layer and a resistive layer. When the touch pad 36 is touched, the conductive layers come into contact through the resistive layer causing a change in resistance (typically measured as a change in current) that is used to identify where on the touch pad 36 the touch event occurred. In the capacitive category, a first set of conductive traces run in a first direction on the touch pad 36 and are insulated by a dielectric insulator from a second set of conductive traces running in a second direction (generally orthogonal to the first direction) on the touch pad 36. The grid formed by the overlapping conductive traces creates an array of capacitors that can store electrical charge. When an object (e.g., a user's finger) is brought into proximity or contact with the touch pad 36, the capacitance of the capacitors at that location changes. This change can then be used to identify the location of the touch event.
In yet another example, FIG. 2C illustrates an electronic device 40 having a touch screen display 44 according to the prior art as an input device. The electronic device 40 is a Personal Digital Assistant or the like. The touch screen display 44 is positioned on a housing 42, and the electronic device 40 typically has some physical controls 46 on the housing 42. A stylus 48 is used to touch locations of the touch screen display 44 to perform various functions. The stylus 48 is typically used like a mouse and arrow, and the display 44 can show various menu items and other user interface features. Touching a menu item on the display 44 with the stylus 48 can generate a pop-up or window 45 in which the user can then make a selection with the stylus 48. The pop-ups or windows 45 overlay the content being displayed and tend to obscure it.
Recently, traditionally separate hand-held electronic devices have begun to be combined in limited ways. For example, the functionalities of a telephone have been combined with the functionalities of a PDA. One problem that has been encountered is in the way inputs are made into the device. Each of these devices has a particular set of input mechanisms or devices for providing inputs into the device. Some of these input mechanisms are generic to all the devices (e.g., power button) while others are not. The ones that are not generic are typically dedicated to a particular functionality of the device. By way of example, PDAs typically include a touch screen and a few dedicated buttons while cell phones typically include a numeric keypad and at least two dedicated buttons.
Thus, it is a challenge to design a device with limited input mechanisms without adversely affecting the numerous possible functions that the device can perform. As will be appreciated, it is preferable not to overload the electronic devices with a large number of input mechanisms as this tends to confuse the user and to take up valuable space, i.e., “real estate.” In the case of hand-held devices, space is at a premium because of their small size. At some point, there is not enough space on the device to house all the necessary buttons and switches, etc. This is especially true when considering that all these devices need a display that typically takes up a large amount of space on its own. To increase the number of input devices beyond some level, designers would have to decrease the size of the display. However, this will often leave a negative impression on the user because the user typically desires the largest display possible. Alternatively, to accommodate more input devices designers may opt to increase the size of the device. This, too, will often leave a negative impression on a user because it would make one-handed operations difficult, and at some point, the size of the device becomes so large that it is no longer considered a hand-held device.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is an improved user interface that works for multi-functional hand-held devices.